Into the Deep
by Veranda
Summary: A stop at the digibeach turns out to be a complete disaster. [Formatting updated 10.30.06] Please read and review.
1. Into the Deep

Into the Deep -part one- 

a/n: Well, I'm back. Sorry I haven't submitted anything in so long, but I've been on vacation in sunny Massachusetts for the past month. (sunny, yeah right, the weather was horrible…) I got this idea while I was sitting on Southshore beach in Rhode Island. I hope you like it……  
Oh yeah, and thank you SO MUCH to all of you who have reviewed my other stories. You're the reason I keep writing. -grins-

Disclaimer: As much as I wish it weren't true, I STILL don't own Digimon. sighs Oh well……on to the story:

* * *

"AIEEEEE!" Mimi squealed as she found herself being lifted up off the ground. "Put me down! HELP!" 

Izzy looked up from his laptop long enough to see Matt and Tai sneak up on Mimi and grab her by the hands and feet. The digidestined were enjoying a much-needed break from saving the world. Everyone was relaxing on the beach, except for Mimi who was now being dragged toward the water kicking and screaming. Sora giggled as Mimi worked one foot loose and managed to kick Tai, dislodging his goggles. Tai was flailing around trying to catch her foot before she caused any serious damage. Matt was laughing so hard he almost dropped her.

"Palmon!" Mimi screeched. "Help! Help! Put me DOWN Tai! Matt!"

By now the three had the attention of the entire group. T.K. and Kari glanced at eachother and rolled their eyes.

"Poison Ivy!" Palmon yelled. Suddenly Matt and Tai found themselves at the worst end of the situation as Mimi's loyal digimon wrapped her vines around them, flinging them into the water. They appeared at the surface sputtering and coughing, and looked toward the shore. Both of the boys turned an odd shade of red when they saw everyone laughing uncontrollably. Mimi gave them a smug 'so there' smile, and went back to perfecting her tan.

Tai turned to Matt, grinned, and without warning, pushed his head under the water. Before the blonde haired boy could react, Tai ran out of the water as fast as he could.

"Hey T.K.?" Kari said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Wanna go for a swim?" she asked, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"Sure!" he replied, started to run toward the water. "I'll race you!"

"No fair! You had a head start! T.K. get back here!" she yelled, running after him as fast as she could.

Sora watched as the two of them splashed eachother mercilessly, laughing to herself.

"I think they're starting to take after their brothers," she told Mimi, who nodded.

"God help us," Joe muttered under his breath. "All we need is two more of them." He nodded toward Matt and Tai, who were now arguing over whose fault it was that Mimi had gotten out of being dunked.

"Well if you'd have been holding on tighter-," Matt started only to be cut off by Tai.

"She nearly broke my nose!" he yelled, pointing at it with a pained expression on his face.

Matt sighed. "I know, it's too bad she didn't kick you just a little bit harder…"

He trailed off as Tai lunged at him. Sora stepped between them before they could hurt eachother,

"Will you two please get along for 5 minutes!" she exclaimed, shoving them both toward the water. "Come on, let's go for a swim. Try to refrain from drowning eachother."

Izzy got in the water too, but only because Sora threatened to throw his computer in if he didn't. ("You spend WAY too much time on that computer Izzy!") Joe and Mimi opted to stay on shore. ("You don't know what could be in that water!" "But I'll ruin my hair!")

Gomamon was bursting with barely contained excitement. Of course Joe wasn't too thrilled when he suddenly found himself sitting in a puddle of water, dripping wet.

"Gomamon!" he yelled. "What was that for?!"

"I couldn't help myself. You looked too dry." his digimon replied, grinning mischievously. "But now that you're wet, you might as well just come in. It can't hurt."

Joe threw a defeated look over his shoulder at Mimi, and headed for the water, muttering under his breath, "Of course he would have to be my digimon…I couldn't have gotten a normal partner." But you could tell by the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth that he didn't really mean it.

When Joe got in the water there was a huge water fight going on. He assumed that Matt and Tai had started. He was right, of course. There was water flying in all directions and people being dunked left and right. Giggling, Kari jumped on top of her brother, pushing him under the water. She screamed as he pushed her off and she landed in the water with a splash. Everyone was laughing so hard, it was wonder no one drowned.

Suddenly, Tai started swimming out into the deeper water. Noticing this, Sora yelled after him, "Hey Tai! Where are you going?"

"I thought I saw something moving over here. I'll be right back," he called over his shoulder, getting even farther away.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Joe announced nervously. Suddenly Tai started thrashing around.

"Wha-? Help!" he managed to choke out before he was pulled beneath the surface of the water.

"Great," Sora said, starting after him. "Matt's going to kill him this time."

"Uh…Sora?" Matt stated from behind her, "That's not me."

"What?!" she exclaimed. "Then who-?"

Suddenly she realized what was going on. "Tai! Hang on!"

* * *

One minute Tai was above the water, trying to figure out what he'd seen, the next he was being pulled downward at an alarming rate. He struggled against the tentacle wrapped around his leg and tried to break free, but it was no use. His thoughts turned to his sister and the rest of the digidestined as realized there was no way he could escape. Panicking, Tai struggled harder as he began to run out of air. 

"I'm sorry…" he thought. "Sorry…"

Finally, unable to hold his breath any longer, he was forced to take a breath. The world began to dim as his lungs filled with water and everything went dark.

* * *

Sora started swimming toward spot where she had last seen Tai, followed closely by Matt. It had all happened so fast. Why wasn't he coming back up? Several bubbles appeared above the water, but there was no sign of Tai. 

"Where is he?" Matt exclaimed outloud to no one in particular. Taking a deep breath, he and Sora dove under the water swam down as far as they could, searching for any sign of their missing leader. There was nothing to be found. Not believing what was happening, Sora searched frantically until Matt grabbed her and pulled her back to the surface. As soon as they were above the water, Sora tried to dive back down, but Matt stopped her.

"Let me go Matt! I have to find him. Please Matt!" Sora pleaded, trying to dive down again.

"Sora there's nothing you can do. You won't be helping him if you get yourself killed." Then in a gentler voice he added, "Come on, Sora, let's go back to shore."

"He's gone. Matt, he's gone." Sora said disbelievingly. She turned to face the boy treading water beside her, looking for reassurance. "Matt…he can't be, right? Matt?"

He had the same shocked, helpless look on his face that she did. "Sora, I…"

"Where's Tai?" Kari yelled from further into shore. Her voice wavered.

Sora didn't know what to tell her. What could she say? She swam back to the group behind Matt her, studying their worried faces. She shook her head slowly, looking at the ground. Only then was she able to cry.

"We couldn't find him," Matt said shakily. "I don't know what happened. He's gone."

Kari burst into tears, followed immediately by Mimi and T.K. Sora knelt down next to Kari and put her arms around her, letting the young girl cry into her shoulder.

"Don't worry Kari, shhhh, it'll be ok. It's ok…" she soothed, all the while wishing there was someone to comfort her. Without noticing, the devastated group moved onto dry land. Some crying, some silent, some shaking their heads with stunned disbelief, still trying to process what they had just heard. He was gone. After sharing so much with them during the past few months, fighting along side of them, Tai was gone.

Agumon refused to leave the edge of the water, staring out toward the spot where his partner and best friend had disappeared. He couldn't believe it. Why had Tai swum out further? He knew better than to go off alone in the water. This was the digiworld.

"No," Agumon whispered. "Tai, come back, please."

Moving a small distance away from the edge of the water, the remaining digidestined lit a fire and gathered around it, sitting close together for comfort. No one said anything. No one knew what to say. Nothing like this had ever happened to them before. Without any warning, one of their number had been taken away from them. Everyone's perspective on the digiworld was changed. It wasn't a game anymore. Nothing was safe, and nothing would ever be the same again.

Leaning against Sora, Kari fell into a deep sleep. T.K., Mimi, Joe and the digimon weren't far behind her. For once, Izzy's computer was silent. He had found a problem he couldn't solve. He curled up in a ball on the ground and fell asleep, feeling more lost than he had in a long time.

Matt stared at Tai's tag, crest, and digivice, which had been laid next to the fire. Tai had taken them off before going in the water. He felt numb, not able to think about anything. No one had ever anticipated anything like this happening. He heard someone moving and turned to see Sora gently lower Kari to the ground and stand up, careful not to wake the sleeping girl. Without a word, she turned and walked away from the group.

Checking that T.K. was still asleep beside him, Matt stood up and walked after her. He found her sitting not too far away, staring out over the dark water. The moon and stars reflected on it's surface, making it look magical. It would have been a beautiful site on any other night, but not this one. Matt sat down next to Sora, waiting for her to say something. She turned to him, her eyes haunted, and whispered,  
"I can't believe this is happening." She lowered her gaze. "How could something like this happen?"

"I always fought with him," Matt said, more to himself than to Sora. "I questioned everything he did and made everything hard for him. He wasn't a bad leader. I mean, sure, sometimes he could be pretty dense, but he tried. He was what kept us together all this time."

"Matt, why did it have to be him? He never did anything to deserve this," Sora said softly. Unable to stop them, tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill down her cheeks. "What are we going to do without him?"

Matt turned to face her and pulled her into a quick hug. "Don't worry, we'll be alright. Tai would want us to keep fighting, and that's exactly what I intend to do."  
S

ora looked at him and smiled slightly. "Thanks Matt."

"No problem," he answered. "What are friends for? Come on, let's go get some sleep."

The two headed back to the warmth of the fire, the dark shadow weighing down on them seeming slightly lifted. Finally, they were able to get some much-needed sleep.

* * *

Swimming foggily back to consciousness, Tai struggled to open his eyes. After coughing up enough water to sail a ship, he was finally able to get a breath of air. Shaking his head to clear it, he studied his new surroundings. He was in a room that seemed to be made of glass, but instead of seeing the digiworld outside, there was only water as far as he could see. He was reminded of Gennai's salt-eating pets as a colorful school of fish swam by. He wondered vaguely if they knew Gomamon. 

"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone there? Where am I?"

"Ah, so you are finally awake," a voice rang out behind him. "Welcome to my domain."

"Who are you?" he asked, turning to face his captor. "And why did you bring me here?"

"I am Aquarimon," the digimon stated. She was unlike anything Tai had ever seen. Her human-like body was covered with sea-green scales that sparkled as if they were covered with glitter. She had two large fins running along the backs of her arms like wings and long, seaweed-like hair that flowed down to her slender waist. "And to answer your second question: You are here because Lord Piedmon knows, as I do, that the digidestined are weak when separated. What better way to separate you than to bring one of you down here, the leader no less, where it is impossible to reach you?"

"You'll never get away with this!" Tai yelled. "Never! My friends will get me out of here. You'll see."

"I think you're forgetting one thing," Aquarimon said evilly. "Your friends don't know where you are, and they won't look for you. You see, they all think you're dead."

* * *

a/n: Well, there you go. That's part one of my newest fic. I'll try to have the second part up within the next few days. Please take the time to review this and tell me what you think. I'm open to any and all suggestions. Thanks! 

-Vera


	2. Into the Deep

Into the Deep -part two-

a/n: Well, here's part two of my story. I hope you enjoy it….. And thank you very much to the 4 people who reviewed part one of this story out of the 40 who read it. You know who you are……-smiles warmly-

Disclaimer: Don't own digimon. Never will own digimon. Just read the stinkin' story for God's sake……sheesh.

* * *

Tai sighed and walked to the edge of his glass prison. After managing to make him feel even worse than he had before, Aquarimon had left him to think about what she'd said. She was right. Here he was, perfectly fine, but not able to let anyone know. Everyone thought he was dead, and no one was going to come for him.

"Well at least Matt'll be happy," Tai grumbled under his breath. "This is the way he wanted it."

Tai thought about the other digidestined, wondering what they were going to do now. Piximon had said they all had to work together to beat the dark masters. Would they be able to win if they were one digidestined short?

"Of course," Tai reassured himself. "They don't need me."  
Tai pressed his forehead against the glass and looked out into the cold dark water. He banged one gloved fist against the glass and whispered, "Let me out. Help me. Somebody has to know I'm here."

"Hello!" an annoyingly cheerful voice chimed behind him. Tai nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Aaaahhhhhh!" he yelled, then, composing himself, "Who are you?"

He studied the small digimon in front of him. The best description he could come up with was 'walking mop'. It was a little furball with huge eyes and birdlike feet.

"I'm Furmon," it informed him, too excited for it's own good.

"Yeah, no kidding," Tai said, eyeing the weird little digimon.

"Who're you?" it asked, hopping in circles around Tai.

"I'm Tai," he said. "Quit that, you're making me dizzy."

"Why are you here?" it asked, ignoring Tai's request.

"What is this, some type of interrogation? I'm here because Aquarimon captured me. And I can't get away, and no one is going to rescue me because they all think I'm dead, and I have no way to inform them otherwise!" he yelled. "That's why I'm here and not enjoying a day at the beach with my friends."

"I can help you," Furmon said, not bothered in the slightest by Tai's angry outburst. The look on Tai's face changed from angry to hopeful faster than you'd have thought possible;

"What?! How?" he asked excitedly, happy for the first time since he'd been there.

"I can get a message to your friends," the furball explained.

"Great! I knew there was a way to….wait. How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't," Furmon told him. "But what other choice do you have?"

Tai sighed, and looked at the floor. "Ok, I just have one question. Why do you want to help me?"

"I am also a prisoner," Furmon said, sounding glum for the first time since Tai had met him. "I have been here for two years, and like you, no one knows where to find me. If I help you escape, will you take me with you?"

"Yes! Of course! Anything to get out of here. But what about Aquimon? Does she know you're here?"

"No, but she won't find me. I've been here for so long, I know my way around this place with my eyes shut," he said proudly. "I'll be right back. Don't go away!" he called over his shoulder as he hopped comically out of the room.

"Shouldn't have too much trouble with that one," Tai said with a wry smile as he sat down to wait.

* * *

When everyone woke up the next morning, they went through the movements of starting the day in a daze. They ate breakfast without noticing and cleaned up their camp. One by one they all moved down to the edge of the water at sat staring at the sunrise. Izzy broke the silence.

"Now what?" he asked tentatively. "What do we do now?"

"I don't want to leave yet," Kari said. Everyone turned to stare at her in surprise. It was the first time she'd spoken since the previous night.  
"We can't stay," Joe said. "Whatever got Tai might get us too. It's not safe."

At the mention of her brother's name Kari burst into tears.

"I don't want to leave. I want my brother. Why doesn't he come back?" she said through her tears. "I miss him."

Sora gave each group-member a questioning look, getting a variety of nods and shrugs in return.

"I guess we can stay a bit longer as long as no one goes in the water," Matt said. No one objected to this, and the decision was made.

"We can't stay here forever," Sora said finally. "What do we do next? Even without Tai-," she paused and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "I think we should still try to defeat the Dark Masters. Everyone in the Digiworld is counting on us."

This statement was welcomed by a long, uncomfortable silence. No one knew what to say to that.

"How will we beat the dark masters without Tai?" TK asked, finally voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"I don't know if we can," Mimi said, barely above a whisper.

No one wanted to admit it, but everyone knew she was right. It would have been hard enough with Tai, but without him it might be impossible.  
Everyone's worst nightmare had come true. They had found a battle they couldn't win. Silence reclaimed the morning.

* * *

Hearing a telltale 'tap tap tap', Tai turned to see Furmon hopping toward him with none other than a pencil and some paper. He gave the furball a quizzical look, shrugged, and muttered, "Don't fix it if it's not broken."

"You can write a message with these," the digimon told him. "I'll take care of the rest."

"Ok," Tai said. "What to write……hmmm."

Biting his lower lip, Tai scribbled a message on the paper, read it over to make sure it sounded right, and nodded to himself.

"Here," Tai said, handing the paper to Furmon. "Make sure this gets to my friends. You're sure this is going to work?"

"No problem!" Furmon said, already hopping away. "Don't worry about a thing."

Suddenly getting an idea, Tai yelled after the departing digimon, "Wait!" Furmon turned around and watched as Tai took off his goggles and held them in one outstretched hand. "Take these. This way they'll know it's really me."

Furmon took the goggles and started for the door again.

"I'm counting on you!" Tai called. Then to himself, "This had better work."

* * *

Kari sat staring blankly out over the water, fingering the Crest of Courage absently. Her thoughts were with her brother. A solitary tear slid down her cheek. Gatomon placed a comforting paw on her shoulder. Kari gave her Digimon companion a weak smile.

Suddenly Izzy shot to his feet with a yell. Six heads turned to him in unison.

"What's that!?" he exclaimed, pointing toward the water. Everyone looked to see what he was talking about. It didn't take long to find. Not far from the spot where Tai disappeared, a small patch of water was boiling. The digidestined watched in amazement as a large silvery sphere floated out of the boiling spot of water and floated towards them.

"What's is it Matt?" TK asked. Matt just shook his head.

"How pretty!" Mimi whispered.

"We're under attack!" Joe shouted.

"Fascinating…." Izzy said, dying to figure out how it worked.

Everyone watched in amazement as the silvery bubble floated towards them. When it reached them, the sphere stopped, hovered for a moment, and without warning, burst into a million fragments. A collective gasp was heard as two things fell to the ground in front of them.

A piece of paper, and Tai's goggles.

Kari screamed. Mimi froze, unsure of what to do. Matt's mouth fell open as he realized what he was looking at. Sora leapt on the paper and read it quietly to herself. Everyone's faces fell when she began crying uncontrollably.

"He's alive. He's alive!!" she yelled. A collective cheer went up among the digidestined. Everyone laughed, cried and hugged eachother, overwhelmed by the unbelievable good news. Once everyone had calmed down a bit, Sora read the note outloud.

"Hey Guys,  
I know you probably think I'm dead. I'm not. (Sorry to disappoint you Matt) I'm being held prisoner at the bottom of the ocean in a glass castle. Just another bit of good news to add to the list. Look, I am so sorry if I worried you, but it wasn't my fault. Forgive me? I'm doing everything I can to get out of here. I could use some help, though. Plus I'm going to be wanting those goggles back……. I'll see you soon, I hope.  
-Tai"

to be continued...

* * *

a/n: I don't think I liked the way that part turned out. Please review it and tell me what YOU thought of it. I probably won't be able to get ahold of a computer for another week, but I'll try to submit the next part as soon as possible. Thanks!  
-Vera 


	3. Into the Deep

Into the Deep -part three- 

a/n: Hello! It's me again. I'm sorry I took so long, but I haven't had computer access for a week. (You have NO IDEA how annoying that can be when you're in the middle of a fic) Well…on with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon. (you know writing these gets real old, real fast)

* * *

Tai paced nervously. What if Furmon hadn't been able to get the message to his friends? What if Aquarimon had caught him? What if……

Tai shook his head, trying not to think about it. If anything happened to Furmon, it would be all his fault. Not to mention his only chance to get out of this mess would be gone. All he could do was wait and hope everything would turn out right. Suddenly, the last voice he wanted to hear filled the room.

"Hello digidestined." Aquarimon sneered. Tai whirled to face her as she continued, "Not so powerful without your friends are you?"

"Sorry Aquarimon, but you aren't going to win this one." Tai said calmly.

"Is that so? Well I think you're wrong, pathetic human. I'm going to kill your friends one by one, and I'll even let you watch." The evil digimon growled, enjoying his reaction immensely.

Tai's expression turned ice cold, "If you even THINK of hurting them I'll-"

"You'll what? There's nothing you can do. You can't stop me. I really don't think you're in the position to threaten me." She smiled at him. The sight sent a shiver down his spine.

"Don't do anything to them. You can keep me, but leave the others alone." Tai whispered, pleading.

"I'll do whatever I want. And killing off a few digidestined sounds like fun right about now." Aquarimon taunted.

"NO!" Tai yelled. Without warning he started charging at her as fast as he could. With a bored expression, Aquarimon raised her hand and shot a stream of bubbles at Tai, blasting him back into one of the glass walls. Tai struggled to his feet, prepared to do whatever necessary to save his friends. Aquarimon laughed,

"I don't know whether to think you are brave or foolish."

"Probably a little bit of both." Tai answered.

Aquarimon thought for a moment before nodding at Tai, "Ok. For now, I will leave your friends alone. But don't think they will get off this easy next time. The digidestined's days are numbered."

Aquarimon turned and walked from the room, leaving Tai alone again. As soon as she was gone he heaved a sigh of relief and sank to his knees.

"What made her change her mind?" Tai wondered outloud, "I doubt I scared her that bad." Tai shrugged.

"Hello!" A familiar voiced chirped happily.

"Furmon! Great!" Tai exclaimed, jumping to his feet, "Did you send my message?"

Furmon nodded happily creating a small cloud of dust and fur as he did, "I sent the message! And Aquarimon doesn't even know! I know it made it to the surface! We're going to escape!"

Tai laughed happily and looked up toward the surface of the water, "It won't be long now!"

* * *

Aquarimon walked into her throne room. It was an amazing sight. Crystalline waterfalls poured into sparkling pools filled with exotic fish. The glass walls revealed an impressive coral reef, sparkling where sunlight from above reached into the depths.

Aquarimon sat down in her ornate crystal throne with a sigh. Why had she spared the lives of the other digidestined? She wasn't quite sure herself. Was it something the young leader of the digidestined had said?

"He was willing to give up his life for his friends." Aquarimon whispered into the silence. This confused her. Why would he do that? Could it possibly be that he cared for them that much?

"Mistress Aquarimon?" A timid voice inquired, "May I speak to you for a moment please?"

Deciding to sort out her confusion later, she turned to the small digimon before her. A Gazimon.

"What is it?" she asked impatiently.

"An unauthorized message pod has been sent to the surface. We tried to re-capture it, but failed."

"WHAT?!" Aquarimon screamed, scaring the poor Gazimon to death. "Who sent it?"

"We're not sure-," the Gazimon started.

"Find out! I want the person who sent that message in my throne room by the end of the day, or someone will pay. And it will most likely be you," Aquarimon threatened.

"Yes, of course, by the end of the day. I won't fail you," the small digimon blurted, before he scurrying out of the room as fast as he possibly could.

"You had better not," Aquarimon said softly, then, "Now, to go visit my little human friend. He is most definitely behind this in some way. He'll be sorry…no one messes with Aquarimon and gets away with it."

* * *

"It's too dangerous!" Matt yelled.

"I don't CARE how dangerous it is! We're going to help Tai!" Sora yelled back.

"Why do you think you can suddenly tell everyone what to do? Who made you leader?" Matt asked indignantly.

"Leader? I'm not the leader, Matt. Tai is the leader and he is trapped at the bottom of the ocean! I don't care what you do. I'm going to get him back," Sora insisted, glaring at Matt.

The rest of the group looked uncertainly between the two, not wanting to get on either of their bad sides. No one wanted to end up being part of this argument.

"Matt?" TK asked, startling everyone, "Why don't you want to help Tai?"

This got everyone's attention.

"It's not that I don't want to help him, it's just that we can't take the risk of someone else getting captured," Matt explained.

"So we just leave him there?" Sora asked, bitterly. "Some friend you are. What was your crest again Matt?"

Matt winced at this remark and said, "Sora, we need to find some way to rescue him without getting ourselves killed. Why don't you get that?"

"So, what's your plan?" She asked.

"I don't have a plan," Matt explained. "I'm just saying we should think about this before we rush in and get ourselves killed."  
"STOP FIGHTING!" Izzy yelled suddenly. "Listen. Matt is right that we should be careful and plan this out, Sora, and you know that. He's not trying to leave Tai behind. And Sora is right that we need to do what ever we can to rescue Tai. Matt, you know that. So what is this argument about exactly? Look, we're all worried about him, so let's figure out what we're going to do as soon as we can. Any suggestions?"

"Gomamon could swim down and find out where Tai is being held. He might even be able to find a way for us to get in unnoticed," Joe suggested. Gomamon nodded.

Izzy nodded at Joe and turned to Matt and Sora with upraised eyebrows.

"Any objections?" he asked with a slight smile.

"No," Sora mumbled while Matt shook his head.

"Good!" Izzy said cheerfully.

"Should we send Gomamon down now?" Joe asked.

"Yes," Izzy answered. "We need to find out as much about this underwater castle as we can, and Gomamon is just the digimon for the job."

"I'm ready," Gomamon said excitedly. "Just tell me when."

"Come on!" Kari yelled, running toward the water. The rest of the group followed, relieved that they were finally taking action.

"Gomamon, I need you to try to find out exactly where Tai is being held and if there's any way we can sneak unnoticed. Don't get caught. You're the only one who can do this," Izzy explained.

"We're counting on you!" Mimi said.

Gomamon dove into the water, "Don't worry about a thing. You can count on me. I'll be back before you know it!" He called before disappearing below the surface.

"Good luck!" Joe yelled.

The digidestined lapsed into silence and stood uneasily by the edge of the water. Once again, all they could do was wait.

* * *

Gomamon swam determinedly in the murky ocean water, searching for any sign of the hidden castle. After a few minutes without success, he spotted a small school of colorful fish.  
"Um…excuse me?" he ventured, swimming up to them. "I need some help. I'm looking for a big underwater castle. Do you know where it is?"

A pale blue fish answered him, "Of course, you must mean Aquarimon's castle. I can show you the way."

With that he sped off into the darkness, Gomamon close behind him. After a short trip, the darting blue fish stopped abruptly and began looking around nervously.

"What's the matter?" Gomamon asked, stopping and staring into the distance.

"This is as far as I can take you," the blue fish explained. "This is a dangerous place. I don't dare go any further."

Gomamon nodded. "Thank you for your help!" he called as he swam off again in the direction they had been headed.

Soon a large coral reef, surrounding a large crystalline castle came into view. Gomamon's eyes widened in awe at the amazing sight.

Quickly, so as not to be noticed, he swam down into the coral reef and began making his way toward the castle.

* * *

"How did you do it?" Aquarimon asked, a sharp edge in her voice. "Tell me!"

"What are you talking about?" Tai asked. "I don't get it. How did I do what?"

"An unidentified message pod was sent to the surface without my permission. I know you sent it!" she insisted.

"How could I have sent some message pod? I've been here the entire time!" Tai exclaimed.  
Suddenly, Aquarimon gasped, pointing at him accusingly. "Those goggles you were wearing!"

Tai's eyes widened.

'Uh-oh!' He thought, 'This is not good'

"I know you had them before, where are they?" she demanded.

"I…um…I'm not sure," he lied, panicking.

"Tell me where they are! Did you put them in the message pod?" she asked, taking a menacing step forward.

""I already told you," he insisted. "I didn't send the message pod! I don't even know how to send a message pod!"

Aquarimon glared angrily at Tai. "I know you're lying, and I'm going to find out how you sent that message."

Aquarimon stormed out of the room, leaving Tai alone again.

"Great," he muttered. "This is just great."

* * *

Darting unseen between pieces of coral and grass-like patches of seaweed, Gomamon made his way toward Aquarimon's domain. Looking for an entrance, Gomamon swam underneath one of the bigger sections of the castle. Looking up, he was surprised to see the surface of the water. He had found the entrance, a circular opening in the bottom of the castle. Remembering what the others had said about getting caught, he decided against sneaking inside and continued looking for more useful clues.

He found one room with several of the silver message bubbles stuck to the outside of it and figured that's where the message had come from. Finally something caught his attention. A flash of blue inside of a small room at the very back of the castle. He made his way toward it cautiously, hoping it was what he thought it was. It was.

"Tai!" he exclaimed, though he knew the young leader couldn't hear him. Gomamon swam up to the edge of the glass and stared at Tai, who was pacing back and forth with a worried expression on his face.

Gomamon began waving his arms around wildly, trying to get Tai's attention. Finally, the boy noticed him out of the corner of his eye. His reaction was really quite comical. After doing a double take, he began jumping up and down excitedly, yelling something Gomamon couldn't understand. After calming down, Tai ran to the edge of his glass prison and mouthed, "You found me!" with an ecstatic grin.

Gomamon nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be back."

Tai nodded back and mouthed a grateful, "Thanks."

With that, Gomamon was gone, leaving Tai with the first glimmer of hope he had felt in quite a while.

to be continued...

* * *

a/n: Ok, I know that this took FOREVER, but it's really hard to get anything done with school and all……I hope you're happy, I didn't do any of my homework tonight just so I could finish this. I know I'm happy, lol. I'll get the next part up as soon as possible, but I can't promise anything. THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who has reviewed my stories. You know who you are. ;)

Recommended fic of the day: Of Carnivals and California Rolls by Artemis Tiger. (and it's 2 sequels) It's good. I loved it. You should all read it. -grins-


	4. Into the Deep

Into the Deep -part four- 

a/n: The first few pages of this part might be a bit off, 'cuz I had to re-write them. My sister Tris lost them. -rolls eyes- She's so responsible. Anyways, this part of my fic is for SGPMM -waves- just because…and for everyone else who reviewed "Digisitter". Thank you!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Well, I do own ONE digimon, Aquarimon, but I don't own the show. Too bad…

* * *

Aquarimon turned her head slightly, noticing movement out of the corner of her eye. It looked like something swimming by. Curious, she walked to the edge of the room and peered outside. She could just barely see a small white object swimming rapidly for the surface.

"I wonder…" She said softly. Then, making her decision, she spun on her heel and walked out of her throne room. She stopped in front of an inconspicuous looking wall, and walked right through it. The surface of the wall rippled like water, then went back to normal, leaving no sign that it was in any way out of the ordinary

On the other side of the wall was a large room, filled with all sorts of digimon. They were all in a hurry, monitoring assorted panels and calling out orders to eachother. When Aquarimon entered the room, time stood still and everyone fell silent. No one moved as the menacing digimon scanned the room, looking for something.

"You, Divermon." She said, pointing at the unfortunate digimon.

"Y…y…yes, Mistress Aquarimon?" He said, a terrified expression on his face.

"When does your patrol team check in?" She asked.

"They should return any second now, " he answered shakily, "Why do you ask?"

"I'd like to speak with them." Aquarimon explained, "Let's go."

The jittery Divermon and Aquarimon, who was obviously enjoying herself, walked through the liquid wall and headed to the entrance to the underwater fortress. It was located in the central dome room. The large opening in the floor was alive with movement, always rippling with small waves.

Just as they were arriving, a team of 6 Divermon was coming up through the hole in the dome room's floor. Noticing Aquarimon standing there they looked at eachother nervously, wondering what was going on.

"I saw something white swimming away from the castle," Aquarimon said, getting right to the point. "Did you see anyone suspicious while you were out there? I think we've been discovered."

One of the Divermon nodded, "We saw a digimon near the prisoner's room. By the time we got close enough to see anything, it was gone."

Aquarimon narrowed her eyes, "Then the digidestined know where he is. No doubt they'll be trying to rescue him. Unfortunately for them, we'll be waiting."

Aquarimon's menacing laugh echoed throughout the underwater castle, "We'll be waiting…"

* * *

"Where is he?" Sora asked for the third time in the last five minutes, "He should be back by now. What if something happened to him?"

"Sora, will you please stop complaining?" Matt said with an exasperated sigh, "You're starting to act like Joe."

"Well at least I actually care, Matt, " She accused, "You don't seem to be the least bit concerned."

"I'm not!" Matt said, "I'm sure Gomamon is perfectly capable. He'll be fine."

"Matt, I can't believe you're so-" Sora started, but Izzy cut her off.

"Sora, Matt, shut up. You're giving me a headache." He said calmly, before going back to what he was doing. The two looked at eachother. Sora glared, Matt rolled his eyes.

TK glanced at Kari, a worried expression on his face, "I'm sure Tai'll be fine, Kari." He said softly.

"I know he will," she said confidently. "He's my brother, he'll come back. I'm not worried." Kari paused with a guilty look on her face, "Well, maybe just a little bit worried."

TK laughed and Kari joined in, drawing the attention of the rest of the group. Matt smiled to himself, watching them enjoy their private joke.

"See Sora?" Matt said, "Even Kari is still managing to act normal."

"I am acting normal." Sora growled, turning towards Matt, "I'm sorry if the fact that I'm worried about Tai bugs you Matt.

"It doesn't bug me," Matt argued.

"If it doesn't bug you then why do you keep going on and on about it?" Sora insisted, her voice getting a notch louder.

"I'm not making a big deal out of it," Matt yelled, "you are."

"You know Matt, I can see why Tai has never liked you. It's because you're a stuck up jerk. You really DON'T want to get Tai back, do you? You'd rather he stayed where he is, wouldn't you? I'll bet you're real happy now that he's gone." Sora yelled.

Everyone turned and stared at Sora, shocked. They'd all heard it, and no one knew what to say. TK looked like he was about to burst into tears. Matt had a look on his face that you don't easily face. He just looked at Sora, a haunted look in his eyes.

"That's not true," he said in a hurt whisper, barely audible. "You know that's not true."

"That's what you'd like us to believe," Sora said. Her voice had a deadly edge to it.

"Sora, that's enough," Izzy said coldly. "Do you realize what you just said? I can't believe you would say that to Matt! He is just as worried about Tai as the rest of us."

"Its Ok, Iz," Matt said. "She's probably right."

Matt turned around and walked toward the water, breaking into a run halfway there. Sora stared after him with an angry expression on her face. Mimi tried to follow Matt, but Izzy stopped her, "He needs to be alone. Let him sort this out."

Mimi nodded reluctantly. Izzy looked at each of the Digidestined in turn. It was happening again. Last time Tai had been separated from them, it had been a disaster, and it didn't look like it was going to turn out differently this time around.

'Hurry back Tai, we're falling apart without you around.' Izzy thought sadly, 'This group can't work without its leader.'

* * *

Gomamon swam toward the shore as fast as his fins would carry him. He was beyond exhaustion, barely able to keep his head above the choppy surface of the water. With one last stroke, his feet touched bottom and the waves washed him ashore. He lay on the sand, too tired to move.

"Gomamon?"

The tired digimon forced his eyes open to see Matt running toward him from down the beach.

"Gomamon, it is you! Are you Ok?" Matt asked, kneeling down and picking up Joe's faithful companion, a worried expression on his face.

"I found him. I found Tai." Gomamon said.

"You did!? Is he Ok?" Matt asked, carrying Gomamon back over to the group, "Oh God, he is alive, right?"

"He's Ok." Gomamon reassured Matt, whose eyes were wide with fear for his friend. He felt the boy relax immediately, and let out a shaky sigh of relief.

"Thank you." Matt whispered, just as they arrived at the camp. Everyone was asleep around a dimming fire.'

"WAKE UP!!!" Matt yelled, startling them awake. Sora was on her feet in a second. Joe was groping around for his glasses while Izzy blinked rapidly, trying to adjust them to the darkness.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked quickly.

"It's Gomamon, he's back!" Matt exclaimed.

Joe was in front of Matt in a second, bombarding him with questions, "Where is he? Oh! There you are! Gomamon, are you Ok? Did you find Tai? Are you hurt?"

"Calm down Joe, I'm fine!" Gomamon said, jumping from Matt's arms on to Joe's head.

"What about Tai?" Sora said, her voice shaking.

"Tai's fine. I saw him. Don't worry, we'll get him back." Gomamon said, "He's being held by a digimon named Aquarimon in a glass castle under the sea. He's in a big room on the back of the castle."

The digidestined all began talking at once, suddenly very awake.

"We have to get him back!"

"We need a plan!"

"Is Aquarimon going to hurt my brother?"

"She can't do this!"

"Calm down everyone!" Matt interjected, "We're not going to help Tai by standing around talking about how unfair this is! Let's figure out what we're going to do next!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, but TK was the one who said what everyone had on their minds, "Now that we know where he is, how do we get there?"

Everyone looked at Izzy. He sighed wearily, "I have NO idea." Everyone groaned.

"There has to be something we can do!" Mimi said.

"Is it too far for us to swim down?" Joe asked after thinking for a moment.

"Yeah, WAY too far." Gomamon explained, "You'll have to find another way down.

"If only Whamon were still alive." Mimi said sadly. Everyone fell silent and tried to think of another way to reach the bottom of the ocean.

"I knew I should have brought a submarine to summer camp." Matt said, seriously.

"I know!" Sora exclaimed, ignoring Matt, "Couldn't Zudomon carry us all down?"

Joe shrugged and looked at Gomamon, "What do you think?"

"I'll do my best!" He exclaimed, happy to help, "When do we leave?"

"Slow down!" Izzy interrupted, "It's the middle of the night. Let's sleep tonight and head down in the morning. We're going to need all our energy for tomorrow."

For once everyone agreed. Matt started walking over to where everyone was getting ready to go to bed but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Sora.

"Matt?" She asked. He nodded, waiting for her to continue, "I'm really sorry about what I said earlier. I know you're just as worried about Tai as the rest of us, and I'm sorry I accused you of wanting him gone."

"It's Ok." Matt said softly.

"I was just really stressed out, from worrying about Tai." She explained sheepishly, "I felt so useless, just sitting there waiting and not sure whether he was alive or not."

"I know." Matt said, "We all felt that way. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks Matt," Sora smiled and started walking away, "Goodnight."

"'Night." Matt answered, laying down next to TK and trying to get some sleep. They were up against the odds again tomorrow, but this time, they weren't fighting for earth...they were fighting for Tai.

* * *

a/n: Sorry I took so long on this part, but I ran out of ideas for a while there. I've already got a lot of part five done, and I'll try to have it up by the end of the week. Please take the time to write me a review. I'd really love to hear from you!

-Vera


	5. Itno the Deep

Into the Deep -part five- 

a/n: Ok, I am VERY sorry it has taken me so long to get this part up, but I've been having some problems with a guy at school and I've been really stressed out, so I haven't had time for writing. I really hope you like this part, because I worked really hard on it and I think it turned out pretty well. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon…-bursts into tears- and it's really -sob- not fair -sniff- at all……….anyways….on with the fic.

* * *

Trying again, without much success, to wipe the huge grin off his face, Tai waited for Aquarimon to come back. Even though he was worried about what she would do, he was sure everything would turn out fine. Ever since Gomamon had appeared outside he'd been waiting for something to happen, and he was getting restless. Finally, he heard something. He strained his ears, trying to decipher the sound. Furmon. 

"We have trouble." The little fuzball stated, the second he popped through the door. It was the first time Tai had ever heard the little Digimon less than ecstatic.

"I know." Tai said, still smiling.

"You know?! Have you completely lost your mind?!" Furmon squealed, "Aquarimon knows about your message and the goggles, it's just a matter of time before she finds out about me!"

"Don't worry about a thing." Tai said nonchalantly, "My friends got the message. They'll be here in no time."

Furmon wasn't convinced, "Something is going to go wrong." He insisted, "I just know it."

"Everything will be fine." Tai said, "My friends will pull through. They always do. They're digidestined! Stop worrying, we're going to get out of here."

Furmon rolled his eyes, the gesture making him look more comical than exasperated, and hopped away, yelling over his shoulder, "You'd better be right."

"Of course I'm right." Tai said confidently. As soon as Furmon was gone, Tai's smile faltered. He leaned wearily on the glass wall of his prison, deep on thought.

"I hope I'm right…" The young leader whispered, not quite sure, "Come on guys, get me out of here. Be careful…."

A sudden noise behind him startled Tai out of his thoughts. He whirled around to see Aquarimon burst through the door.

"Who was it?" She yelled, walking toward him, fire in her aquamarine eyes.

"Why can't you ever be more specific when you ask questions?" Tai queried sarcastically, already looking for somewhere to run if there was trouble.

"You know what I'm talking about!" She yelled, still advancing menacingly.

"No I don't!" Tai insisted, "You can't just barge in here and ask 'Who was it' and expect me to know what you're talking about. Who was what?"

"Aquarimon was fuming, "Ignorant human! You are of no use to me of you won't answer my questions!" She yelled, "Who was the digimon I saw swimming around my castle?"

"See, that's a better question. Now I know what you're talking about." Tai said.

"Then ANSWER me!" She screamed, her aqua complexion going a bit scarlet.

Tai pretended to think for a moment, "I don't have any idea who the digimon was." He shrugged.

Aquarimon threw a burst of bubbles at Tai with a frustrated scream. Tai's eyes widened in shock as he leapt out of the way and rolled to his feet, facing the irate digimon.

"What was that for?" He asked, backing away from Aquarimon, only to find that he had nowhere to go. He had reached the edge of his prison, his back to the wall.

"I no longer have any use for you." Aquarimon said, "Now that your friends have found you, you have become a threat. I have no choice but to eliminate you."

"Eliminate me?!" Tai repeated, searching frantically for a way out of the situation, "You can't1"

"And why?" Aquarimon asked in a voice that said she had already made up her name.

"Because I…I…" Tai faltered, thinking hard. 'What would Matt do?', "I'm destined to save this world. You can't change destiny. My friends and I were brought here together, as a team. You can't stop us! We're digidestined!"

"A moving speech, really." Aquarimon said, pretending to wipe a tear from her eye. Her sad expression turned into a malicious smile,

"But I think I will prove you wrong. Goodbye, leader of the digidestined, Guardian of Courage."

"No!" Tai yelled as Aquarimon walked to the door, "You can't do this!"

"I think I can." Aquarimon said smiling at him. With a slight wave, she shut the heavy glass door.

Tai ran toward the door, the click of the lock ringing painfully clear in his rears before he could get there.

"Let me out!" He yelled, pounding on the glass, "What are you going to do?"

Aquarimon's voice boomed out of unseen speakers, "You'll see…. You'll see soon enough."

Tai backed away from the wall, stopping in the center of the room. He looked around warily, ready for anything. Then it happened.

"Oh no." Tai whispered, "No, no, no. Not this!"

Five small holes had appeared in the roof of the glass room. Water was pouring in slowly, but surely. Tai looked at his feet, swallowing hard. The water was creeping up the sides of his shoes. For the first time in his life, Tai Kamiya was sure that he was going to die. He ran to the edge of the glass, searching frantically for any sign of his friends.

"Hurry!" He called, shutting his eyes against the sight of the rising water. He saw a familiar pair of brown eyes staring back at him, not unlike his own. Kari. The eyes filled with tears, blinked, and disappeared. He couldn't die. Kari depended on him. He had to live, if only for her, "Please hurry."

* * *

No sound came form the sleeping group of children, the absence of Tai's snoring painfully obvious in the silence. A sudden, unexpected light pierced the dark night and washed over the sleeping children. It had a warm glow, tinged with pink, growing brighter by the second. Sora stirred and opened her eyes slowly, confused by the light. 

Her eyes wandered over the sleeping group, noting Tai's absence, pushing the thought out of her mind. Suddenly, she let out a startled gasp, her eyes resting on Kari's quiet form. She had found the source of the mysterious light.

"Matt!" She yelled over her shoulder, "Wake up."

The boy rolled over in his sleep and groaned, "Leave me alone, I'm trying to sleep." Matt finally opened his eyes and glanced up at Sora.

"What?" he asked dully, not fully awake.

"Look at Kari!" She exclaimed.

"Whoa!" Matt yelled, shooting up into a sitting position, "Guys, wake up. We have trouble."

Slowly, the rest of the group woke up, looking around, immediately noticing Kari.

"What's wrong with her?" TK asked fearfully.

"I don't know TK." Sora said softly.

"We should try to wake her up." Joe stated.

"What if you hurt her?" Gatomon asked, standing loyally beside her companion.

Sora walked up next to Kari and kneeled down.

"Kari," she whispered, "Can you hear me?"

Suddenly the light grew brighter, hurting their eyes, and changed from pink to a vibrant orange color.

"TAI!" Kari screamed, her eyes still squeezed shut, startling everyone. With one last flash of orange, the world was once again plunged into darkness.

* * *

Tai looked down, startled. His crest had activated, and orange light was pouring into the room just as the water was. Without warning, the light disappeared and he was left alone with the sound of rushing water. He could have sworn he'd heard Kari's voice call his name…but no….it must have been his imagination…

* * *

a/n: Ok, I have all of part 6 written out already, it's just a matter of typing it out, but I'll try to have it up within the next day or so. Please review my story and tell me what you thought, it's the feedback I get that keeps me writing… -smiles- Thank you! 


	6. Into the Deep

Into the Deep -part six-

A/n: Part six!!!! Yay!!!!!! This is my favorite part of the entire story. It's all sort-of been building up to this, so I hope you like it. I don't think it's going to be the last part though. I think there'll be one more. Enjoy!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. All I own is this story, which I REALLY hope you'll review….-winks- hint hint…….

* * *

Everyone sat in stunned silence, not sure of what to say. Finally, Sora spoke up, "Kari? Are you OK?" 

"Sora?" Kari's voice came back softly, quivering fearfully, "Tai's in trouble! I saw him!"

"Tai? You saw him?! Where was he?" Sora asked quickly, surprised.

"He was under the water." Kari said, her entire body trembling uncontrollably, "In a big room. And the water was pouring into the room.

He said he needed my help and to hurry." Kari explained, her eyes welling up with tears, "I want my brother."

"I think Kari had a vision." Izzy said, stating his theory, "If she's right, Tai could be in grave danger. I don't think we should wait any longer. We need to leave now."

"Izzy's right." Sora agreed, "Let's go get Tai."

"I'm with you." Matt said, nodding, a determined look in his deep blue eyes, "Let's go!"

All in agreement, the digidestined ran to the edge of the water, anxious and excited.

"Gomamon! Digivolve into Zudomon so we can get going." Joe said, "It's all up to you now."

"Right…Gomamon digivolve to…Ikakumon. Ikakumon digivolve to…Zudomon!" Everyone looked up at the huge digimon standing before them.

"Alright! Let's go!" Joe yelled.

"Wait…how are we going to do this?" Matt interrupted, "We need to figure this out."

"Ok…" Izzy started, thinking hard, "Let's see….I don't think we should all go."

"What? Why not?" Sora asked, alarmed, "Won't we need everyone's help to get Tai out?"

"No, the more people, the easier we'll be to spot." Izzy explained, "We're trying to sneak in undetected."

"Izzy's right." Matt said, "Besides, if we get captured, who'll get us out?"

"What's all this 'we' stuff?" Sora asked, "Who says you're going?"

Matt shrugged, "I didn't mean it that way."

"I don't think TK and Kari should go." Joe said, cutting them off before they started another fight, "We can't risk them getting caught."

"But he's my brother!" Kari protested softly, "I should be there."

Sora shook her head, "I know Tai, and he wouldn't want you put in any danger because of him. You'll be safer here, and we'll have you're brother back in no time." Kari nodded her head reluctantly, not completely convinced.

"I'll stay to organize a rescue if you guys mess it up." Izzy volunteered.

"I'll stay." Mimi said, "I think I'd be more help on shore."

"Well I have to go." Joe said, "I'm staying with Zudomon."

"No way I'm staying." Sora said, "I'm there."

"I'm going." Matt said, stepping up next to Sora, "Just in case you need my help."

"Well that settles it then." Izzy said, "Good luck you guys!"

"Bring back my brother." Kari said from where she was standing next to TK.

"Be careful." Mimi called.

"Hold on to my back everyone." Zudomon said, "Don't let go. I'm going to swim down under the castle."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Sora asked warily, climbing onto Zudomon's back.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Matt said, climbing up behind her.

"Don't forget us!" A voice called out from the shore. It was Agumon, followed by Biyomon and Gabumon. The three digimon climbed up on the Ultimate digimon's back, Joe not far behind them.

"Sora!" Kari yelled, "Bring these! Here!" Kari ran out into the water, handing Sora Tai's tag, crest, and goggles.

"Thanks Kari, and don't worry. We'll be back in no time." Sora assured her. She handed the tag and crest to Joe, and he put them in his bag.

"These stay with me," she whispered, holding on tightly to the goggles.

"Are you ready? Zudomon's voice came from up in front of them.

"Really wanting that submarine about now!" Matt yelled, holding on as tight as he could.

Sora glanced over at Matt, "I don't want to do this."

"You'll be fine. Don't worry. We have to do whatever it takes to get him back," Matt said.

"Here we go, "Zudomon called, "Hold on tight!"

Sora stole one glance behind her, toward the shore, and didn't look back again. She slipped Tai's goggles over her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm ready." She whispered with conviction. She took another breath, holding it in, and held on tight as Zudomon dove beneath the surface of the water. Immediately the sound of the crashing waves and rushing water disappeared, replaced by a ghostly silence. Sora's world was a whirlwind of water and darkness. A fish would swim by, a stream of bubbles would float up out of the depths of the water, everything had a certain rhythm.

Suddenly the pattern was interrupted and a ray of light penetrated the darkness. A colorful reef loomed up ahead, surrounding a beautiful, yet foreboding, crystalline fortress. Sora willed Zudomon to hurry, feeling her lungs burning, starving for air. The castle got ever- closer. Finally they were beneath the castle, above the reef. Sora saw the opening up ahead, sure that she was running out of time, knowing she would have to breathe soon.

Finally, in a rush of speed and sound, the team exploded out of the water and into the light. Sora kicked furiously, breathing in gasps of air, and tried to reach the edge of the water. She reached upward and a hand found her, pulling her onto the slick, glass floor.

"You ok?" Matt's voice came, causing her to look up.

"Yeah, thanks." She gasped, pulling the goggles down so they hung loosely around her neck, "I just hope we can find another way to get to the surface. I don't want to have to do that again."

Matt laughed, "Me neither." His expression turned serious, "Let's go get Tai and get out of here."

Sora walked up to the three hallways leading out of the dome room, "Um…which way?"

"I think it's this one." Gomamon said, running through the middle door, "It seems to lead in the right direction."

"Ok, so let's-" Sora started, but she was cut off by Joe's surprised yell.

"Divermon!" He exclaimed.

"Gomamon digivolve to….Ikakumon!"

"Matt, Sora, go find Tai, I'll stay here and hold them off." Joe said, holding the crest of their leader, "Take these. Make sure Tai gets them."

"Thanks Joe." Sora said, a worried expression on her face, "Be careful."

Sora turned and began running down the hallway Gomamon had pointed out, Matt close behind her.

"I have no idea where we're going." Matt said, "You do know that , right?"

"Neither do I." Sora said hesitantly, "But he's got to be around here somewhere."

"Great." Matt said, "This is going well."

"Shut up Matt, I'm trying," she bit out angrily.

"Ah…so you are the digidestined." A dangerous sounding voice rang out behind them, "Here to get your leader I assume."

"Who are you?" Matt asked the unexpected newcomer.

"I am Aquarimon."

Sora and Matt looked at eachother. "Gabumon?" Matt said, still looking at Sora, "It's time to digivolve."

"Gabumon warp digivolve to…Metalgarurumon!"

"Go get Tai, I'll hold her off." Matt said, pressing the tag and crest into her hand, "Go!"

Sora didn't move. "Where are you keeping Tai?" Sora yelled, taking a step forward.

"Oh, I think I'll make this more fun. You're just going to have to find him yourself." Aquarimon said, "But you'd better hurry, you're running out of time!"

"Sora, we don't have time for this. Go, now." Matt said softly.

"Thanks Matt, I owe you one." Sora called over her shoulder, turning and heading down the hallway.

"I'll remember you said that." Matt said with a smirk.

"I know." Sora said softly, running down the hall with determination, "Don't worry Tai, I'm coming."

"Hey you!" A panicked, high- pitched voice yelled. Sora whirled around and looked behind her in surprise. It was Furmon.

"Who are you?!" Sora yelled, not wanting to be delayed any longer, "I don't have TIME for this.

"Spiral Twister!" Biyomon launched her attack at the terrified furball, who leapt out of the way quickly.

"No! Don't hurt me! Are you Tai's friends?" He asked, cowering next to the wall.

"What?" Sora asked, shocked, "You know Tai? DO you know where he is?"

"Yes I know where he is! He's trapped in a room down this hallway, and he hasn't got much time." Furmon said, turning and racing down a corridor that Sora and the others would have run right past. They followed the small digimon, hoping, praying, that they weren't too late.

* * *

a/n: Ok, that's all I have written so far. Sorry about the cliffhanger and making it so short, but I'm doing my best. I'll probably have the next part up tomorrow, but I'm not sure. I hope you liked it. PLEASE write me a review and tell me whether you did or not!! 


	7. Into the Deep

Into the Deep -part seven- 

a/n: I'm baaaack!!!!!! I'm trying to get this story done as quickly as possible 'cuz I've got another one I'm just DYING to write. Oh yeah, and I take back what I said last time. THIS is my favorite part of the fic. I wrote this story just so I could do this scene. (I just didn't get as far as I thought I would last time.) I'm not going to tell you that this is the last part because I've been saying that since part 4 and it's just not happening. So….here we go!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon….yet.

* * *

Tai searched the room for any possible way out. Again. He knew he wouldn't find anything. He'd already gone over every inch of his prison several times, although that was getting harder to do as the water rose. It was up to his chest now. Tai stood by the door and looked out. The hallway was still empty. 

"They're not coming." He whispered to himself. He stood as still as a statue, realization sinking in. He felt the water creeping up his neck, a grim reminder of how little time he had left, "I don't want to die."

Walking no longer an option, Tai swam to the other side of the room. He peered out into the dark waters, searching for any sign of his friends. Just as he was about to give up, a slight movement caught his eye. A spark of hope ignited in the darkness. Pressing his nose against the glass, Tai strained his eyes, trying to figure out what he had seen. Then he saw it again, and this time there was no mistaking it.

Zudomon.

"Oh God..." He whispered, hardly daring to believe it, "They came!"

Tai stayed by the wall treading water, watching until Zudomon disappeared under the bottom of the castle. Grinning, he turned around in the water and looked back at the door. It was gone.

"What the….?" He said outloud, looking up to where the water still poured into the room. What he saw killed his smile faster than anything else could have. Six more holes. The water was pouring in twice as fast as before. Taking a deep breath, Tai dove beneath the surface. He swam down to the doorway and tried the lock again. It was no use, he was still locked in. Giving up, he returned to the surface. The room was more than half full now, there wasn't much time left.

'It's ok.' He thought to himself, 'They're here, I'll be fine.'

But even that thought wasn't as convincing as it should've been. So he waited.

* * *

Sora sprinted down the seemingly endless hallway after Furmon, so worried that she could hardly breathe. If anything happened to Tai, she didn't know what she would do. He had to live. The digidestined couldn't defeat the dark masters without him. And Kari…she would be devastated. How do you tell a seven year old that her brother isn't coming back? All these thoughts flashed through Sora's head in seconds, making her even more desperate to get there faster. All of a sudden, she saw Furmon stopping in front of a door and skidded to a halt next to him. 

"Yes! We found him! I knew we-" Sora stopped in the middle of her sentence. The room was almost completely filled with water, with only about a foot of air left at the top, "Oh no…are we too late?"

Then she saw it. There was something blue moving around at the top of the room.

"Look, there's Tai!" Sora exclaimed, pointing up toward the top of the water. She started banging on the glass with her fist, trying to get his attention. Finally, he heard it. Tai spun around in the water, facing the door, and dove under the surface. Stopping in front of the door, Tai held himself under with the handle and opened his eyes. He smiled the best he could under water and mouthed the words 'help please' at Sora. Then letting go of the door, he swam back out of sight.

"How do we get this door open?" Sora asked, yanking on the handle. It was still locked, "He's going to drown if we don't get this door open soon!"

Tai appeared in front of the door again, a frightened expression on his face. He shook his head frantically and pointed up. Sora looked at the ceiling.

"Oh no…" The room was completely full of water, "We're out of time. Biyomon, digivolve, we're going to need to get rid of this door. Hurry!"

"Biyomon digivolve to…Birdramon!"

Tai banged frantically on the door, getting Sora's attention, and shook his head. He pushed away from the door and swam to the other side of the room where she couldn't see him.

"Biyomon! Get him out now!" Sora yelled, moving out of the way.

"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon yelled, melting away a small section of the door. Water began pouring out of the room slowly. Trying to make the hole bigger, Birdramon fired her attack at the door again, "Meteor Wing!"

Finally, the hole was big enough to drain the room. The water rushed out of the room, emptying it in a matter of seconds. Sora looked around frantically for Tai. Then she saw him.

* * *

"Tai!" Kari yelled, getting everyone's attention. 

Izzy whirled around to look at the young girl, "Kari, what's wrong?"

"Something happened." Kati told him, her eyes wide with fear, "Something isn't right. "

"What do you mean?" Mimi asked fearfully.

"It's Tai." Kari whispered, her eyes filling up with tears, "Something happened to him. He's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?" TK asked her, but Kari didn't hear him. The world turned dark around her and she swayed on her feet.

Izzy caught her before she fell and lowered her to the ground gently. Then he looked around at everyone's worried faces.

"I think Kari had another vision." He said, "And if what she said is true, something has gone terribly wrong."

"What do we do?" Mimi asked.

"Nothing." Izzy said wearily, "There's nothing we can do."

* * *

"Tai!" Sora screamed, her eyes finding his unmoving body lying in the water. She ran to him and fell to her knees by his side, "Oh God….Tai….wake up. Come on, talk to me, you have to be ok." 

Sora shook Tai's shoulders lightly, getting no response. He wasn't breathing. Tears flowing down her cheeks, Sora let go of the young leader and stared at him in disbelief, "No. No…Tai! Come back!" Breaking down in tears, she buried her face in his chest and cried.  
Suddenly, an explosion shook the room, followed by Aquarimon and Metalgarurumon battling fiercely, neither without injuries. Sora took no notice of the fighting digimon. Nothing in the world mattered anymore. Nothing. Matt ran into the room after his digimon, stopping short in the entrance. He saw Tai's motionless form, Sora's shaking shoulders, and froze, "No."

He used one arm to steady himself, gripping the doorway. The reality of the situation hit him like a bolt of lightning. He shook his head in denial, "This isn't happening."

Matt walked over to Sora slowly, swallowing the lump in his throat. He laid a hand softly on her shoulder. She shivered and pulled away from him, "Go away."

"Sora, I…." Matt started.

"Matt, just leave me alone." Sora whispered, her voice hoarse from crying, "Tai's dead. He didn't just get taken away this time, Matt, he's really gone." Breaking down in tears again, Sora looked up at Matt, her eyes dull, "What do we do? What can we do?"

Matt felt tears filling his own eyes, "I don't know."

A small glow came from where Sora was sitting. It was her crest.

"Sora look! Your crest!" Matt exclaimed, just as his own began glowing faintly. The light grew brighter, leaving the crests and floating in front of the startled digidestined. The sphere of light grew smaller by the second. The battle had stopped, and all eyes were on the light. It shrank to the size of a marble, glowing white hot in the silence. It floated above Tai for a second, then without warning, dissolved into the Crest of Courage. Time stood still. At first nothing happened, and no one was sure of what to expect. Then there was an explosion of blinding, orange light form Tai's crest.

Everyone covered their eyes against the light. Then as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. Everyone sat in stunned silence, all eyes on Tai. He moved. Matt's eyebrows went up, and he jumped back with surprise. Sora's jaw dropped. Aquarimon fumed. Tai coughed.

"Tai?" Sora whispered, hardly daring to believe it. Choking on the water that had filled his lung, Tai struggled to get a breath. He groaned softly as his eyes flickered open and focused themselves on Sora's tear stained face.

"S-sora?" He managed to get out between coughing fits. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and gave her a concerned look, "Am I dead?"

"TAI!!" Sora yelled, flinging her arms around his neck and bursting into tears, "I thought you were dead. I didn't know what to do. I don't want to lose you." She sobbed.

"Shh…it's ok." Tai whispered, wrapping his arms around her shaking form, "I'm ok."

"Are you sure?" Sora asked. Tai smiled weakly and nodded, "Yeah." Reluctantly, Sora let go of his neck, suddenly looking slightly embarrassed, and stood up. Matt reached a hand down to Tai, who took it gratefully and got shakily to his feet.

"Thanks for coming Matt." Tai said. Matt shrugged.

"Don't mention it. Please. And NEVER pull a stunt like that again. I don't want to end up leading the group. You have no idea what a disaster it was while you were gone." Matt said with a slight smile.

"I'll keep that in mind next time I try to get myself killed." Tai replied, laughing. Sora smiled at him, "Thanks."

An evil laugh interrupted the reunion, "Enjoy your time together while it lasts. You haven't got much more of it." All three kids turned and looked at Aquarimon, none to excited to be reminded of her presence

"Fine, so he isn't dead. That means nothing. You still have to beat me, and that's never going to happen." Aquarimon bit out angrily, her eyes full of fire.

"Think again Aquarimon." Tai said, turning to face the evil digimon, "We have some unfinished business, and I'm going to finish it now."

Sora handed Tai his goggles, tag and crest, which he immediately returned to where they belonged. With a determined nod of his head, Tai turned to Agumon, "Think you can take her?"

"With my hands behind by back." Agumon replied, "Agumon, warp digivolve to……Wargreymon!"

Aquarimon glared angrily at the huge digimon before her, "You'll never beat me!! I am invincible!"

"I don't think so. " Tai said, his expression turning dangerous, "Get her Wargreymon!"

"Terra Force!" Wargreymon yelled, launching a globe of energy at Aquarimon. She screamed, taking the hit, and flew into the wall.

Aquarimon shook her head to clear it and leapt back to her feet.

"Aqua beam!" She countered, shooting a jet of water at the startled digimon. Wargreymon moved to the side, but not fast enough, and the attack hit him on the arm. He yelled in pain, and turned back to his attacker angrily.

"Oceanic fina-" Aquarimon started again, ready to launch another attack, but she was violently interrupted.

"Ice Wolf Claw!" An unexpected voice called from the other side of the room. An icy blast hit Aquarimon in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. Seeing and opening, Wargreymon retaliated with his own attack, "Terra force!"

Wargreymon watched as Aquarimon struggled slowly to her feet. She leaned on the wall, breathing heavily, and glared at the two digimon who had finally caused her downfall.

"How could this happen to me? I captured the leader of the digidestined! No one should have known he was here! I should not have failed, I am invincible!" Aquarimon said, talking to herself as much as to everyone else. Her feet began disintegrating, bits of data flying in every direction. She watched as her body disappeared, and her voice lowered to a regretful whisper, "I was invincible."

"I'm sorry it had to come to this Aquarimon, but I told you that you couldn't change destiny. You should have known better than to have messed with the Digidestined." Tai said, watching as his captor disappeared, "Goodbye Aquarimon."

"NO!" Aquarimon yelled, only a face still remaining of what had once been a dangerous enemy. Her voice faded with what was left of her, never to be heard again, "No…….."

After a few moments, Matt broke the silence, "I think she took that very well." He said lightly, a smile in his voice.

Tai and Sora laughed, agreeing with him wholeheartedly. They watched as the two mega digimon de-digivolved back to their rookie forms.

"Thanks for your help Gabumon." Agumon said with a smile.

"No problem." Gabumon replied, "I'm glad I could help."

Suddenly Biyomon cocked her head to the side, a puzzled expression on her face, "Do you hear that?" She asked, gesturing toward the open doorway.

"It sounds like footsteps." Tai said, walking toward the sound, "I wonder what it is."

Before he could get to the door though, a familiar blue-haired figure ran through and skidded to a stop, looking around frantically.

"Joe?" Tai said, "I didn't know you were here."

"Tai! You're ok! " He said happily, "So…uh…what did I miss?"

"We'll fill you in later Joe. Right now, I think we should get out of here. This place gives me the creeps." Matt said, heading for the door.

"I cannot WAIT to see the sun again. I am so sick of water…you have no Idea!" Tai exclaimed, walking after Matt, "Oh yeah, and Gomamon, thanks for finding me. I owe you one."

"HEY!" A familiar voice screeched from behind them, "Aren't you FORGETTING SOMEONE?"

"Furmon!" Tai exclaimed, "That's right. I promised to get you out of here. Speaking of which…how do we get out of here?"

"Aquarimon's submarine." Furmon suggested, "It should hold us all.

"Of course." Matt said dramatically, "I finally get my submarine, but it's just a little bit late for that now!"

Everyone laughed, "Just be glad we don't have to ride Zudomon back up Matt." Sora said, shuddering at the thought of repeating that experience.

"Yeah, no kidding." Matt answered as they all climbed into the submarine.

"Everyone sit down and hold on." Furmon said, shutting the doors, "Let's get out of here."

"It's about time." Tai whispered, watching through the window as the beautiful castle got smaller and smaller until he couldn't see it anymore.

* * *

Kari groaned and opened her eyes slowly. She looked around and found everyone staring at her. 

"What?" She asked, staring back.

"You fainted." Izzy informed her gently, "Right after you told us that Tai was gone. What did you mean by that? Did you see him again?"

"No." Kari said, "I felt him die."

"He's dead!?" Izzy exclaimed, caught off guard.

"No…he's alive. Look." Kari pointed at the ocean. A split second later a small submarine burst out of the water and sped toward the shore. Stopping when the water got to shallow, the submarine's door flew open and Tai jumped out.

"Tai! Tai, you're ok!" Kari yelled, leaping up and running toward her brother as fast as she could.

"Kari!" Tai exclaimed, bending down and scooping his sister up in a huge hug, "I missed you so much!"

"How did you do it?" Kari asked, loosening her hold on his neck and looking at him expectantly.

"How did I do what?" Tai asked, giving his little sister a puzzled look.

"You died. I felt you die." Kari explained, watching as Tai's jaw dropped, "But you're not dead."

"How did you….?" Tai shook his head, "I'll have to let Matt and Sora tell you about that one. I'm not really sure what happened myself."

"I knew you would come back." Kari told him.

Everyone else had clambered out of the submarine by now, and they all walked back to where they had set up camp, talking and laughing happily. Furmon lagged behind the group keeping to himself. Noticing this, Tai turned around and waited for him to catch up.

"What's wrong?" He asked his furry companion.

"Nothing." Furmon said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "I have to leave."

"Already?" Tai asked, "Couldn't you stay for just a little longer?"

Furmon shook his head, "No…I have a family, you know. I haven't seen them in years. I really need to find them."

"Ok, I understand." Tai said, nodding his head, "Thank you for all of you help. I owe you my life, you know."

"Yeah…but I wouldn't have gotten away without your help, so we're even." Furmon explained.

"I guess I'll see you later then." Tai said sadly.

"Yeah," Furmon agreed, hopping away slowly, "Bye Tai."

"Bye…….."

Taking one last look at Furmon's retreating form, Tai turned and caught up with the rest of his friends. Just as he got back with the group,

Kari gasped and pointed toward the water.

"Look!" She exclaimed.

Everyone turned and watched as the sun came up on the horizon, spilling golden light over the land. The sunbeams reflected on the ocean's surface, making it look like the water was on fire. Everyone watched the amazing sight in silence until someone finally spoke up.

"Thanks for coming after me." Tai said softly.

"What did you expect us to do?" Izzy asked, "Leave you there? You're our friend."

"Tai, if it weren't for you, this entire group would fall apart. You're what keeps us all together." Sora explained.

"It's destiny," Kari added. TK nodded his agreement.

"I knew you would find a way," Tai said, "It's SO good to be back."

"Yeah." Matt said with a sly grin, "And now that we're all back together, I have a great idea!"

"What's that?" Mimi asked, curious.

"Let's go swimming." He suggested.

"Very funny." Joe said, laughing. Soon everyone else joined in. The digidestined stood watching the sunrise, enjoying their private joke, finally together like they were meant to be. Peals of laughter rang out over the ocean, welcoming the morning. Looking out over the water, Tai realized how lucky he was to have friends that would risk so much for him. Even their own lives. As if she read his mind, Sora looked over at Tai, giving him a knowing look. He smiled at her and slipped an arm around her waist. And they stayed like that, savoring the silence. No one had to say anything. They already knew.

The End

* * *

a/n: -bawls- My fic…..it's -sniff- done……I never thought I'd finish this thing. You know, I actually liked this part. A lot. Well, now that I'm finally finished I can work on my new fic. Be watching for it! I hope you liked "Into the Deep"! Please write me a review and tell me what you thought. It will really mean a lot to me. Thank you so much! -Vera 


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